Super Guide to Backup Buffalo NAS to External Hard Drive

You will learn how to backup Buffalo NAS to external hard drive to protect your data with best free Buffalo backup software and simple gu.

By @Delia Last Updated October 31, 2024

What is Buffalo NAS?

Buffalo NAS is short for Buffalo network-attached storage which is a sort of data storage device. They can easily provide secure and reliable centralized storage and backup for your small office, business, or home needs.

These devices can be modified into miniature general purpose Linux-based computer with various series, such asf LinkStation, TeraStation, Kuro Box, Linux community, Uses, Gallery, See also, Reference.

Among them, the LinkStation and TeraStation are intended for the general public. The Kuro Box is intended for expert hackers as a cheap platform for Linux development.

Backup NAS Buffalo with the Built-in Tool

You can easily set up a backup for your Buffalo device with its built-in tool. Follow the below steps, you can back up your Buffalo NAS with just a few clicks.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide: Step 1: Go to the Buffalo Settings and enter the IP address.

Step 2: Select "Advanced Settings" and log in with your "Admin" account.

Step 3: Click on the "Backup" tab, then select the configuration icon next to "Backup."

Step 4: Choose "Create New Job," then click "Add" and "Browse" to set up your backup.

Step 5: Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the backup for your Buffalo NAS.

Tips: However, the built-in tool may not offer advanced options for specific backup needs or preferences. And more, according to users' feedback, the backup process might take a long time, especially if your network is slow. So you need one Buffalo backup software as an alternative.

Best free Buffalo backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard

To backup Buffalo NAS to external hard drive, you need the best free Buffalo NAS backup software. AOMEI Backupper Standard is a great choice due to the following advantages:

AOMEI Backupper
Best Free Buffalo Backup Software
  • All-in-one backup software for Buffalo NAS: You can choose to backup files, partitions, or disks on the Buffalo NAS. And it works well for system backup.
  • Backup all kinds of NAS devices: Except for Buffalo, you still can use it to back up Synology NAS, QNAP NAS, etc.
  • Backup files continuously, even only changes: You can backup files with Daily, Weekly, and Monthly frequencies. And usually, this software backup only changed files with incremental Backup for a scheduled task.
  • Backup files without booting into Windows: You are capable of creating a bootable USB or CD/DVD with this software, boot from it, and then backup files in the recovery environment.

All the operations are based on a software with graphic user interface, you can download it to have a try! It applies to Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. For server users, try the AOMEI Backupper Server.

Simple Step to backup Buffalo NAS to external hard drive

Backing up to NAS is a good way to protect your data, but there is a possibility the NAS will run into issues. Thus, you need to backup Buffalo NAS to external hard drive for double insurance. This further decreases the risk of losing data.

Please prepare an external hard drive and connect it to your computer. Then, follow the steps below carefully:

Step 1: Launch AOMEI Backupper Standard, and enter the main page, select File Backup under the Backup tab.

Step 2. Click Add Folder or Add File to select files or folders on the Buffalo NAS.

Then, choose Share/NAS in the pop-up window.

Afterward, click Add Share or NAS Devices, type display name, network path, user name, password and click OK to add the Buffalo NAS. Then, select one or more subfolders you want to backup.  

Step 3. Select the external hard drive you plug into ahead of time and rereive the backup image. Then, click Start Backup to backup Buffalo to external hard drive.

This only backup files or folders currently on the Buffalo NAS. If you make any changes to it, you need to backup gain or set Schedule Backup to backup changes automatically. You can choose among Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger, and USB Plug in. The last two premium features are available on the professional version.

By default this software will create one full backup and 6 incremental backup if you set a scheduled backup task. This may result in backup disk full issue in the long run, thus it's suggested to enable Backup Scheme and delete backup file automatically. You have 3 options, By quantity,  By time, By daily/weekly/monthly. You need to upgrade now (5% off for one computer) before using it. 

The incremental backup has a high requirement for recovery while differential backup is much easier. For differences between them, learn my previous article: Incremental or Differential Backup.

Besides, you still can enable email notifications after the task is finished. Comment, split, compress the backup image, or select a backup mode, etc. 

Now, you may have a copy of your files on the Buffalo NAS and then you can restore files from backup at any time. You don't need to worry about data loss anymore. 

Why Backup Buffalo NAS to External Hard Drive?

Reading here, we have learned the ways to back Buffalo NAS to external drive, but why do we do this? Meanwhile, the need to backup Buffalo NAS to external hard drive is increasing. So, here we summarize the most common reasons for this operation:

  • Easy and Fast file transfer: It allows you to save and transfer files much faster in a very short time and retrieve the previous files very easily. And for administrators, it acts as a complete and standard platform.
  • Gain big capacity: Buffalo NAS can support a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (known as RAID) by holding plentiful disks, and you can connect these appliances for storage expansion.
  • Avoid data loss due to power loss or machine failure: You are mainly allowed to run on a Linux file system and retrieving or recovering files or folders from the system becomes complex once power loss or machine failure appears. In this case, you need to ask professional data recovery software for help, or you can not access any Buffalo NAS device.

Summary

You can easily backup Buffalo NAS to external hard drive with Buffalo NAS backup utility - AOMEI Backupper Standard. You can make it run automatically by enabling the daily, weekly, and monthly schedule backup and backup only changed files by default. Also, if you want to access your files at any time, you can choose to use the File Sync feature. 

In its advanced edition, you can enjoy safer backup methods - Differential Backup and deleting old backup images automatically with different cleanup methods. To deploy the image to multiple computers, you need to use the image deploy tool in the technician or TechPlus edition. For differences between them, learn more on the edition comparison page.